HAMPTON — Trailing by a touchdown to start the second half, Heritage coach George Massenburg channeled his inner Sean Payton.

Just like the New Orleans Saints did three years ago in Super Bowl XLIV, the Hurricanes began the third quarter with an onside kick. And just like then, it worked.

Heritage didn't convert right away, but it set up the tying score and a 21-14 comeback win Friday night at Darling Stadium. The Hurricanes held the Crabbers to 85 total yards after halftime and won for the first time in this series since 2000.

"I'm just so happy for these guys," said Massenburg, a former Crabber player and assistant. "This is something that (hasn't) happened since they were 2 and 3 years old. I'm just so happy for them. They come out every day and put up with me and the other coaches hollering at them.

"I'm just excited right now. This is an exciting time for the whole program."

Heritage (3-0, 2-0 Peninsula District) trailed 14-0 one play into the second quarter and showed no signs of being able to stop Crabber quarterback Jovonn Quillen. After his 354-yard passing game last week at Woodside, Quillen rushed for 78 yards on Hampton's first two possessions.

Heritage managed to cut the lead in half on Malik Deloatch's 20-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Vanhook with 1:36 left in the half. At halftime, the Heritage coaching staff made some adjustments. That included moving linebacker Dimitri Holloway to strong safety.

"Coach told us they were running to their side on the bench," Holloway said. "So he told me, 'Holloway, I'm going to move you to the weak side and change our defensive scheme.'"

Massenburg knew the onside kick was a serious gamble. If it failed, Quillen and the Crabbers would have a short field. But he was convinced it would work.

"Our special teams coordinator, Coach (Ivory) Ellison, said they were taking off right away," Massenburg said, referring to Hampton's first line. "So we saw there was an opportunity to go for it, you know? And it was successful."

Heritage didn't pick up a first down on that possession, but after its punt, Hampton faced a fourth-and-1 from its 38-yard line. Crabbers coach Mike Smith decided to go for it, and Quillen took off from a direct snap in the shotgun. Canes linebacker Juany'e Patillo nailed him for an 8-yard loss.

"I did what my coach told me," said Patillo, who also rushed for 93 yards. "We worked on it all week in practice.

Heritage tied it on Jamon McEachern's 6-yard run with 5:06 left in the third. And after forcing a punt, the Hurricanes took over at their 17-yard line with 10:05 left in the game.

After moving the chains twice, Heritage had a third-and-20 from its 47. Deloatch scrambled for 8 yards, nowhere near the first down marker. But as he was sliding, a Hampton defender was flagged for face mask. The 15-yard penalty gave Heritage a first down.

Patillo's 18-yard run set up a first down at the 12. Three plays later, after a Hampton offsides set up first-and-goal from the 1, Patillo went in for the game-winner with 1:49 left.

It capped a 12-play, 83-yard drive that ate up 7 minutes and 16 seconds.

"We're going to run the ball, everybody knows that," Massenburg said. "I felt if we got the ball with at least 8 minutes in the game, we could hold the ball for the entire time. That was our goal."

After the kickoff, Hampton had 76 yards to go, 1:41 on the clock, and one timeout. Yet the Crabbers used 97 seconds to run three plays that gained 3 yards. By the time Hampton finally used its last timeout, four seconds were left and the ball was at the Crabber 27.

NEWPORT NEWS — Today, all is well. Heritage has followed last season's playoff appearance with its first 2-0 start in six years. Going back to the final week of the 2011 season, the Hurricanes have won nine of their past 14 games.

The last 11 months have been difficult for Anthony and Eldrie Scott, with every holiday or milestone bringing another reminder. They had lost their only child, something they pray no other parent has to experience.